[S4NoMore]

Another recent tint post reminded me to put this out here.

I had my windows done way back in April, almost 6 months ago, at a reputable shop I've been using for almost a decade on nearly a dozen vehicles, with quality film.

They did my dad's '09 335i sedan a few years back, and after some time the windows became streaked with vertical scratches in the film (mainly the driver's). I came here and read that the E90 windows have seals that are prone to this type of damage, i.e. there are hard plastic guides underneath the (indoor) felt seals and it doesn't take much for specks of dirt to become caught and wreak havoc on tint. Apparently some people complained and actually had dealers go in and apply felt to these plastic surfaces. My dad's car was a lease, he didn't really mind so we didn't bother.

Well, yesterday I cleaned my '12 F30 and noticed a scratch on the driver's window just like those seen on that E90. Crap. Now I'll be cautious every time I go to roll a window up or down. I suppose I made it through the summer with just 1 scratch so it could be worse.

I'm wondering if anyone else has experienced this... have you done anything about it either DIY or via your dealership? Any suggestions are appreciated.

Here is a previous thread that I found on the subject: http://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=788904

Yeesh, and here is a product designed specifically for this purpose: http://www.tintprotector.com/bmw/

Anyone applied this stuff?

[IndotagSwizz]

In my opinion the tint is cheap, I had this happen in my previous car (Honda accord). Everyone told me the same thing you are hearing, that my Honda had something inside the door panel that was scratching it and needed a strip of felt... Not only it still scratched after applying felt but it also started leaving all this sticky crap from the felt all over the windows. I went to a different shop, got them redone and had the car for 4 years after that without a single scratch I even ask the people at the second tint shop to see if they did anything to the door panel and they laugh and told me the previous tints were extremely cheap. I had trusted the previous tint shop for many years... maybe that day they just got a bad batch but my car for sure was not the issue, hope this helps

[ft1330]

Applying felt would not prevent sand from getting trapped between the felt and the window and scratch the windows/tint when rolling the windows.

[BavarianFanatic]

Tint Protector would help. It works.

Make it a point to clean the wipes with the windows down every once in a while. The quality of the film does play a role.

[S4NoMore]

Originally Posted by IndotagSwizz

In my opinion the tint is cheap, I had this happen in my previous car (Honda accord). Everyone told me the same thing you are hearing, that my Honda had something inside the door panel that was scratching it and needed a strip of felt... Not only it still scratched after applying felt but it also started leaving all this sticky crap from the felt all over the windows. I went to a different shop, got them redone and had the car for 4 years after that without a single scratch I even ask the people at the second tint shop to see if they did anything to the door panel and they laugh and told me the previous tints were extremely cheap. I had trusted the previous tint shop for many years... maybe that day they just got a bad batch but my car for sure was not the issue, hope this helps

They actually did switch from Llumar to SunTek awhile back. I researched and apparently it's less expensive but just as good including scratch resistance

Originally Posted by ft1330

Applying felt would not prevent sand from getting trapped between the felt and the window and scratch the windows/tint when rolling the windows.

The felt will not prevent debris from getting to the seal, but I can imagine that a hard rubber edge might press the debris harder against the window/film compared with a softer felt/moleskin which would have some cushioning effect. There are some BMW success stories out there. I inquired with the company about installation details.

As a sidenote, I'm extremely finicky about my car and keep it pristine, including vacuuming along the inside window seal edge. I don't leave it with the windows down, which seems to be the most common suggestion to combat dirty seals.

Originally Posted by BavarianFanatic

Tint Protector would help. It works.

Make it a point to clean the wipes with the windows down every once in a while. The quality of the film does play a role.

This I'll have to add to my cleaning routine.

[bmwauug]

On my e90 the window felt was swapped out because it was known to scratch. I think it was beaver or something like that